Article Types

Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL)

The Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL) welcomes a range of scholarly contributions addressing significant issues in education, development, humanities, social sciences, technology, and related interdisciplinary fields.

Authors should select the article type that most accurately reflects the purpose, methodology, and contribution of their manuscript. The Editorial Team reserves the right to change the article category when another classification is more appropriate.

All submissions are subject to the applicable JEDL editorial, ethical, and peer-review requirements.

1. Original Research Article

Original Research Articles present new and substantive findings based on original research.

They may use:

  • quantitative methods;

  • qualitative methods;

  • mixed methods;

  • experimental methods;

  • observational approaches;

  • survey research;

  • case-based research;

  • computational or data-driven approaches; or

  • other academically appropriate research methodologies.

A typical Original Research Article should clearly establish:

  • the research problem;

  • research objectives or questions;

  • relevant literature;

  • theoretical or conceptual foundation, where appropriate;

  • methodology;

  • results or findings;

  • discussion;

  • conclusions; and

  • implications or recommendations, where appropriate.

Original Research Articles should demonstrate a clear contribution to existing knowledge.

2. Review Article

Review Articles provide a critical and analytical synthesis of existing scholarly literature on a significant topic.

A review should do more than summarize previous publications. It should identify:

  • major themes;

  • developments in the field;

  • areas of agreement and disagreement;

  • methodological or theoretical trends;

  • research gaps; and

  • opportunities for future research.

Review Articles should demonstrate appropriate breadth, critical analysis, and scholarly synthesis.

3. Systematic Review

Systematic Reviews use a structured and transparent methodology to identify, evaluate, and synthesize relevant research addressing a clearly defined question or set of questions.

Where applicable, authors should provide information about:

  • research questions;

  • search strategy;

  • databases and sources searched;

  • eligibility criteria;

  • screening and selection procedures;

  • quality or risk-of-bias assessment;

  • data extraction;

  • synthesis methods; and

  • limitations.

Authors are encouraged to follow recognized reporting standards appropriate to their review design, such as PRISMA, where applicable.

A systematic review should be sufficiently transparent to allow readers to understand how the evidence base was identified and evaluated.

4. Scoping Review

Scoping Reviews map the available literature on a broad or emerging topic and identify major concepts, evidence types, research gaps, and areas requiring further investigation.

Scoping Reviews may be particularly appropriate for:

  • emerging research fields;

  • interdisciplinary topics;

  • rapidly developing technologies;

  • policy-related research;

  • broad educational or developmental questions; and

  • areas where the evidence base is diverse.

Authors should clearly describe the review methodology and selection process.

5. Meta-Analysis

A Meta-Analysis statistically combines findings from multiple studies to estimate an overall effect or relationship.

Meta-analytical manuscripts should clearly report:

  • the research question;

  • eligibility criteria;

  • literature-search strategy;

  • study-selection process;

  • data extraction;

  • effect-size calculations;

  • statistical model;

  • heterogeneity assessment;

  • publication-bias assessment where appropriate;

  • sensitivity or subgroup analyses where appropriate; and

  • limitations.

A meta-analysis may be submitted as a standalone article or as part of a systematic review.

6. Conceptual or Theoretical Article

Conceptual or Theoretical Articles develop, critique, refine, or propose theoretical ideas, conceptual models, frameworks, or perspectives.

Such articles may:

  • introduce a new conceptual framework;

  • integrate theories from different fields;

  • critique an existing theoretical perspective;

  • propose a new model;

  • identify theoretical gaps; or

  • develop implications for research, policy, or practice.

These articles should demonstrate strong engagement with relevant scholarly literature and provide a clear intellectual contribution.

7. Methodological Article

Methodological Articles present significant advances in research methods, analytical techniques, instruments, frameworks, or research procedures.

They may address:

  • research design;

  • measurement;

  • assessment;

  • data collection;

  • qualitative methodology;

  • statistical methods;

  • computational methods;

  • educational research tools;

  • research instruments; or

  • interdisciplinary methodological approaches.

The article should clearly explain the methodological contribution and its potential applications.

8. Case Study

Case Studies provide detailed scholarly analysis of a specific educational, institutional, social, developmental, technological, community, or organizational case.

A case study should provide sufficient contextual information and explain:

  • the case and its significance;

  • the research or analytical approach;

  • relevant evidence;

  • findings or observations;

  • interpretation; and

  • lessons, implications, or recommendations.

Case Studies should make a meaningful contribution beyond merely describing an individual case.

9. Short Communication

Short Communications present concise but significant scholarly contributions that may not require the length of a full research article.

They may include:

  • preliminary but important findings;

  • focused empirical studies;

  • methodological innovations;

  • emerging research;

  • significant observations;

  • concise theoretical contributions; or

  • timely scholarly findings.

Short Communications should maintain appropriate methodological and scholarly rigor despite their shorter format.

10. Research Note

A Research Note presents a focused observation, dataset, methodological insight, theoretical proposition, or research development that is useful to the scholarly community but may not constitute a full-length research article.

Research Notes should have a clear purpose and demonstrate scholarly value.

11. Policy or Practice Article

Policy or Practice Articles examine important educational, developmental, institutional, technological, or social policies and their implications for practice.

These articles may:

  • analyze existing policies;

  • evaluate policy implementation;

  • examine institutional practices;

  • identify policy challenges;

  • present evidence-based recommendations; or

  • connect research findings with professional practice.

Policy or Practice Articles should be evidence-informed and analytically rigorous.

12. Educational Innovation Article

Educational Innovation Articles present innovative approaches, technologies, models, interventions, programs, or practices that contribute to teaching, learning, assessment, educational administration, or educational development.

Examples may include:

  • educational technology;

  • artificial intelligence in education;

  • digital learning;

  • innovative pedagogy;

  • curriculum innovation;

  • learning analytics;

  • educational robotics;

  • immersive learning;

  • teacher professional development; and

  • technology-supported assessment.

Authors should provide sufficient evidence or evaluation to support claims about the innovation.

13. Data or Dataset Article

Where appropriate, JEDL may consider scholarly articles describing significant research datasets or data resources.

Such articles should explain:

  • the purpose of the dataset;

  • data-collection methodology;

  • population or context;

  • variables or data structure;

  • quality-control procedures;

  • ethical considerations;

  • limitations; and

  • conditions of data access or reuse.

Authors must comply with applicable privacy, confidentiality, copyright, and research-ethics requirements.

14. Book Review

Book Reviews provide critical assessments of recently published academic books relevant to JEDL's areas of interest.

A book review should normally include:

  • complete bibliographic information;

  • a concise overview of the book;

  • discussion of its major arguments;

  • critical evaluation;

  • strengths and limitations; and

  • relevance to the field.

A book review should be analytical rather than simply descriptive.

15. Editorial

Editorials provide scholarly perspectives on important topics relevant to JEDL.

Editorials may address:

  • significant developments in education and development;

  • emerging research trends;

  • major policy issues;

  • special issues;

  • developments in scholarly publishing; or

  • matters of broad interest to the journal's readership.

Editorials may be commissioned by the Editor or invited from recognized scholars.

16. Commentary

Commentaries provide informed scholarly perspectives on important research, policies, practices, theories, or emerging issues.

A Commentary should present a clear argument supported by appropriate scholarly evidence.

Commentaries may respond to:

  • emerging debates;

  • significant published research;

  • educational or development policies;

  • technological developments;

  • methodological issues; or

  • important societal challenges.

17. Perspective Article

Perspective Articles present an expert or scholarly viewpoint on a significant emerging topic.

They may be particularly appropriate for rapidly developing fields such as:

  • artificial intelligence;

  • digital education;

  • educational technology;

  • climate and sustainability education;

  • emerging scientific technologies;

  • educational policy; or

  • interdisciplinary development.

Perspective Articles should be intellectually substantive and supported by relevant literature.

18. Conference Paper and Proceedings Article

JEDL may publish selected conference papers and proceedings articles through approved special issues or conference-proceedings arrangements.

Conference submissions must satisfy the applicable JEDL editorial, peer-review, originality, ethical, and copyright requirements.

Presentation or acceptance at a conference does not automatically guarantee publication in JEDL.

Where a conference paper is substantially developed into a journal article, authors must clearly disclose the relationship between the conference version and the submitted manuscript and ensure that the journal submission contains sufficient original scholarly contribution.

19. Special Issue Article

Special Issue Articles are manuscripts submitted in response to an approved JEDL Special Issue.

Special Issue Articles remain subject to the journal's:

  • editorial standards;

  • peer-review requirements;

  • publication ethics;

  • plagiarism and research-misconduct requirements;

  • authorship requirements;

  • copyright and licensing requirements; and

  • AI and generative-AI requirements.

Special Issue status does not imply automatic acceptance.

20. General Requirements for All Article Types

Regardless of article type, all submissions must:

  • fall within JEDL's aims and scope;

  • be original;

  • comply with research-ethics requirements;

  • meet appropriate academic standards;

  • accurately report research or scholarly arguments;

  • use appropriate citations;

  • comply with copyright requirements;

  • disclose relevant conflicts of interest;

  • disclose funding where applicable;

  • provide appropriate data-availability information where applicable;

  • comply with JEDL's AI and generative-AI policy; and

  • comply with the journal's publication-ethics policies.

21. Peer Review

The peer-review pathway may vary according to article type.

Research-based manuscripts normally undergo appropriate peer review before publication.

Editorials, invited commentaries, book reviews, and other non-research contributions may follow a different editorial assessment process depending on their nature.

The Editorial Team determines the appropriate review process for each submission.

22. Article Type and Length

JEDL does not impose a single universal word limit for every article type because appropriate length varies according to the nature of the contribution.

Authors should prioritize:

  • relevance;

  • clarity;

  • methodological completeness;

  • scholarly depth;

  • concise presentation; and

  • avoidance of unnecessary repetition.

The Editorial Team may request shortening or restructuring where a manuscript is substantially longer or shorter than appropriate for its category.

Specific word limits may be announced for particular Special Issues, Calls for Papers, or commissioned contributions.

23. Choosing the Correct Article Type

Authors should select the article type that best represents the manuscript's primary scholarly purpose.

For example:

If your manuscript primarily... Recommended Article Type
Reports new empirical research Original Research Article
Critically synthesizes existing literature Review Article
Uses a structured systematic methodology to synthesize evidence Systematic Review
Maps literature across a broad field Scoping Review
Statistically combines results from multiple studies Meta-Analysis
Develops a theory or conceptual framework Conceptual/Theoretical Article
Introduces a research method or instrument Methodological Article
Examines a specific real-world case Case Study
Reports concise but significant findings Short Communication
Presents a focused scholarly observation Research Note
Examines policy or professional practice Policy/Practice Article
Evaluates an educational innovation Educational Innovation Article
Describes a significant dataset Data/Dataset Article
Critically evaluates an academic book Book Review
Presents an invited scholarly position Editorial/Commentary/Perspective
Develops a conference contribution for publication Conference Proceedings Article
Contributes to an approved thematic issue Special Issue Article

24. Editorial Classification

The article type selected by the author is not necessarily the final classification.

The JEDL Editorial Team may:

  • request clarification;

  • recommend a different article type;

  • combine or modify categories;

  • transfer the manuscript to another section; or

  • decline a manuscript if its content is outside the journal's scope.

Such decisions are made to ensure appropriate editorial and peer-review treatment.

25. Recommended Structure by Article Type

The following structures are provided as general guidance.

Original Research Article

Title → Abstract → Keywords → Introduction → Literature Review → Methodology → Results → Discussion → Conclusion → Implications/Recommendations → Limitations → Declarations → References

Review Article

Title → Abstract → Keywords → Introduction → Review Method/Approach → Thematic Analysis → Discussion → Research Gaps → Conclusion → References

Systematic Review

Title → Abstract → Keywords → Introduction → Review Question → Methodology → Search Strategy → Selection → Quality Assessment → Results → Synthesis → Discussion → Limitations → Conclusion → References

Conceptual/Theoretical Article

Title → Abstract → Keywords → Introduction → Theoretical Background → Critical Analysis → Proposed Framework/Model → Implications → Conclusion → References

Case Study

Title → Abstract → Keywords → Introduction → Case Context → Methodology → Case Analysis/Findings → Discussion → Lessons/Implications → Conclusion → References

Book Review

Bibliographic Information → Introduction → Book Overview → Critical Evaluation → Strengths and Limitations → Relevance → Conclusion

These structures are flexible and may be adapted according to disciplinary conventions.

26. Ethical and Integrity Requirements

All article types must comply with JEDL's publication and research-integrity standards.

JEDL does not tolerate:

  • plagiarism;

  • fabrication;

  • falsification;

  • duplicate publication;

  • inappropriate text recycling;

  • citation manipulation;

  • authorship manipulation;

  • fraudulent peer review;

  • inappropriate image manipulation; or

  • other forms of research misconduct.

Authors should consult the relevant JEDL policies before submission.

27. Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI

Authors must comply with JEDL's AI & Generative AI Policy.

AI systems cannot be listed as authors.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and scholarly validity of their submissions.

Where material use of generative AI has occurred, appropriate disclosure should be provided according to JEDL policy.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate evidence, generate false references, manipulate results, or otherwise compromise research integrity.

28. Open Access and Publication Fees

JEDL is an open-access journal.

Currently, JEDL does not charge authors:

  • submission fees;

  • Article Processing Charges (APC);

  • acceptance fees; or

  • mandatory publication fees.

The journal operates through voluntary academic and editorial contributions.

Further information is available in the JEDL Open Access Policy and APC / Fee Policy.

29. Final Editorial Decision

Selection of an article type does not determine acceptance.

All manuscripts must meet JEDL's academic, editorial, ethical, and publication requirements.

The final decision regarding:

  • suitability;

  • article classification;

  • peer-review pathway;

  • revision;

  • acceptance; or

  • rejection

rests with the appropriate JEDL Editorial Team.

Contact

Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL)
Publisher: Education and Development Lab
Email: editor@jedl.us
Website: https://jedl.us/

Authors who are uncertain about the appropriate article type may contact the JEDL Editorial Team before submission.